Revista Pilquen

On-line version ISSN 1851-3123

Abstract

We look into the various interpretations of the May Revolution that several intellectuals put forward in what we might describe roughly as the "National Thinking". Rodolfo Puiggrós, Juan José Hernández Arregui, Jorge Abelardo Ramos y Norberto Galasso have certain ideological perspectives built around popular nationalism, anti-imperialist Latinamericanism and socialist ideology. We discuss the common aspects of these authors, but the main emphasis is on the divergences between their interpretations, via a comparative study of their work. These intellectuals openly argue against the interpretation of May enshrined in the "Official History", questioning its main pillars. But despite the fact that they all begin from historical materialism and share a political identity ("social nationalism"), the conclusions they reach point not only to divergent perspectives but also to work done in the heat of different historical moments, and are inseparably tied to the political discourse of their time and clearly associated with the national project that they aspire to contributing to build. We shall also attempt to throw some light on these aspects. Today, within the framework of the Bicentenaries and the numerous forums and activities that seek to take a new look at our 200 years of history, we should not neglect these enriching discussions but, rather, bring them into the debate together with new research in an essential task.

Keywords
:
May Revolution; Revisionism; Official History; National Left.